Packers cannot harvest enough cattle to meet demand or supply
Jeff Swenson
Prepared and written by Jeff Swenson, DATCP Livestock and Meat Specialist. The Market Update draws information from several sources, including trade publications, radio broadcasts, agricultural news services, individuals involved in the industry as well as USDA NASS and AMS reports.
The Choice beef cutout value broke the $300.00 level on Tuesday and was $306.37 Thursday afternoon. That’s $75.00 higher than this time last month. Restaurant demand has picked up while retail demand remains strong. Seasonally, we would expect to see demand increase now, and with restaurants expanding dine-in services there’s even more call for beef.